Ambulance providers press for state rule to ban balance billing and set reimbursement floor; insurers warn of cost shifts

Representative Jerry Stringham introduced House Bill 725 to the House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee as legislation to address a national and local squeeze on ground ambulance finances. “This bill does 2 things,” Stringham told the committee: it would extend the prohibition on balance billing to ground ambulance services and establish a non‑contract rate of 325% of the Medicare rate for nonparticipating providers.

Advocates: stabilize EMS, protect taxpayers and patients

A string of witnesses — including chiefs from local departments and leaders of the New Hampshire Ambulance Association — told the committee operators are struggling with low reimbursement, rising costs, and the revenue uncertainty that balance billing historically covered. Mike Sitar, chief of the Tilton‑Northville Fire District and representative of the New Hampshire Association of Fire Chiefs, said the 325% figure aligns with other states and provides “a fairly established rate” linked to Medicaid/Medicare baselines. Justin Van Etten of Stewart’s Ambulance, a large rural provider, warned that…